https://nordictimes.com/europe/german-farmers-protest-government/

Europe

German farmers protest government

The war on food supply

Published 22 December 2023

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: facsimile/Euronews/Youtube

1700 tractors gathered in Berlin on Monday.

German farmers protested in Berlin on Monday against government plans to cut tax breaks for diesel, a key resource in agriculture. The measure, described as part of a wider “budget restructuring”, has raised concerns about the impact on rural businesses.

Last Wednesday, the German government reached a deal to try to resolve a budget crisis and stick to plans to increase support for the war in Ukraine. Germany’s highest court overturned the government’s decision to reallocate 60 billion euros that were originally intended to cushion the negative effects of the coronavirus policy, but were instead to be used for climate policy and also to modernize the country, AP reports. The decision left 17 billion missing from next year’s budget.

One of the decisions in the agreement was that the government would generate the missing billions by eliminating tax breaks for farmers on diesel fuel.

On Monday, 1700 tractors blocked the road leading to the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin to protest the government’s decision. Farmers point out that the removal of the tax breaks will cost the sector around €1 billion a year and that many farmers are already struggling, expressing strong concern that the decision will force more farmers into bankruptcy.

– Today we have sent a clear signal to the federal government: Withdraw the tax increases for agriculture, farmer Joachim Rukwied told Politico. Enough is enough, it must be withdrawn. This policy must come to an end, otherwise a change of government is necessary, he continued.

Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir and Finance Minister Christian Lindner addressed the farmers during Monday’s protest, expressing their own reservations about the government’s decision.

– I don’t think much of the cuts on this scale and I didn’t think much of them in the past, Özdemir told the audience. On the contrary: I warned the federal government against it. I am fighting in the Cabinet to ensure that it does not come to this extent, he said.

Earlier this year, farmers in the Netherlands protested against the government’s environmental proposal to reduce nitrogen emissions, which in practice means that many farms will be forced to significantly reduce production or close down completely. The protests were widespread and gave a huge boost to the new farmers’ party BBB in this year’s regional elections, where it won more than 19% of the vote.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/danish-farmers-protest-against-climate-taxes-and-bovaer/

Denmark

Danish farmers protest against climate taxes and bovaer

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published 15 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: facsimile/DR

– I won't be feeding my cows with bovaer, that's for sure, says farmer Thorbjørn Thomsen

On Monday, Danish farmers protested against new climate taxes and rules that they say make farming in the country more difficult and worse. Among other things, the protests were directed against the criticized feed additive bovaer, which farmers are now forced to use to reduce methane emissions.

Last year, the Danish government agreed on a new climate agreement with the aim of making Denmark “green”. One of the targets is to reduce nitrogen emissions from agriculture by 13,780 tons per year, to be achieved through a carbon tax on farmers.

The No FFF demonstration, which stands for “No Food, No Farmers, No Future”, was organized in several Danish cities on Monday. Farmers drove their tractors to Aalborg, Kolding, Holstebro and Aarhus, among others.

The farmers are demanding the removal of all taxes and regulations that make it difficult to farm and raise animals in Denmark. They also want car and registration fees to be abolished, the green tripartite agreement to be stopped and no more solar parks to be built on agricultural land.

Demand for methane-reducing supplements

A significant part of the protests is directed against the much-criticized feed additive bovaer. Since January 1, all dairy farms in Denmark with more than 50 cows must use methane-reducing supplements in their feed.

– I won’t be feeding my cows with bovaer, that’s for sure, farmer Thorbjørn Thomsen told Danish state broadcaster DR.

Arla has recently faced strong criticism after boasting that it feeds British dairy cows the dietary supplement bovaer. Many Britons have called for a boycott of the company’s products and openly declared that they will not support a company that gives its animals what they consider to be experimental and unnatural supplements. In Sweden, too, criticism has been noticeable, and initiatives such as Mejerikollen have been launched to help consumers avoid dairy products containing bovaer.

Not wanting to restrict traffic

In several European countries, demonstrations against taxes and regulations on agriculture have taken place under the slogan No Farmers, No Food. However, the Danish demonstration is not supported by the major official agricultural organizations.

– We don’t want to be part of taking ordinary Danes hostage on this issue. There are some things we are not happy with, but we are not in favor of restricting traffic for that reason, says Torben Farum, vice president of the agricultural organization Agilix in Northern Jutland.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/polish-farmers-block-the-road-to-germany/

Europe

Polish farmers block the road to Germany

The war on food supply

Published 28 February 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: facsimile/Euronews

Farmers in Poland have full stocks but cannot sell their produce.

On Sunday, farmers from Poland blocked a major highway bordering Germany in protest against, among other things, the “uncontrolled” import of Ukrainian grain, which they say creates unfair competition.

On Sunday, Polish farmers started a tractor blockade on the highway bordering Germany. The farmers continue to protest the EU’s “Green Deal” regulation, which they say will make products more expensive and create unfair competition from non-EU countries.

– We farmers from Poland are here because we are no longer accepting the EU Green Deal regulation, farmer Christopher Janicki told AFP. We also do not accept the uncontrolled import of grain from outside of the EU.

The main problem for Polish farmers is the import of cheap grain from Ukraine, where exports have been suspended due to the ongoing war.

– Farmers in Poland have their warehouses full and cannot get rid of their goods, he says.

For several weeks, farmers across Europe have been blocking roads with tractors in protest at strict EU environmental rules and competition from cheap imports from other countries. The protests, which began in Germany, have spread to France, Belgium, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

On Monday, they continued to block both lanes of the highway, but reportedly ended during the day. A 25-day blockade was originally planned, but was shortened after talks with local representatives and companies.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/climate-council-calls-for-meat-tax-in-denmark/

Denmark

Climate council calls for meat tax in Denmark

The war on food supply

Published 26 February 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/VLG

Danish politicians want their citizens to eat less red meat.

Denmark’s climate council proposes a carbon tax on meat products for consumers, but the idea is rejected by a committee of experts who question whether it would have any effect on emissions in Denmark. The expert committee argues that farmers should be taxed instead.

The government’s climate advisor believes that politicians in the country should introduce a consumption tax on meat in supermarkets so that consumers have to pay more for beef and other products that emit carbon dioxide.

– There are good reasons to levy a tax on what is in the fridge and especially on the big climate villains in the fridge – such as red meat, Peter Møllgaard, chairman of the Danish Climate Council, told Danish state broadcaster DR.

The tax would be imposed on all beef, regardless of which country it comes from.

On Wednesday, a committee of experts led by Michael Svarer, professor of economics at Aarhus University, presented its own proposals on how to achieve the climate targets in Denmark. They scrapped the proposal for a consumption tax and pointed out that it would not be “particularly economically appropriate” to introduce a CO₂ tax on the products in the fridge.

– It is difficult to implement because it is hard to know the exact climate impact of a Dr. Oetker pizza from Bavaria, he said.

“Controlling consumer demand”

– If you don’t know, you have to use average figures, and then the producer has no incentive to change their behavior because they still have to pay the average tax rate. Then you don’t achieve the behavioral effect that you want for the tax. This is why we have chosen to avoid a consumption tax, Svarer continues.

Instead, it is proposed that a carbon tax could be introduced for agriculture. The tax would make it more expensive for farmers to produce, for example, milk and meat, which also means that it would make the products more expensive for the customer. However, according to calculations, such a tax would, for example, make 500 grams of beef an average of DKK 4.5 more expensive. However, the Climate Council considers this to be too little.

– The idea is that it should be more expensive if you demand goods that have a high climate impact. The idea is that we need to steer consumer demand away from things that cause a lot of pollution, says Møllgaard.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/czech-farmers-join-protests/

Europe

Czech farmers join protests

The war on food supply

Published 20 February 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: facsimile/AP/Youtube

The situation of the farmers is described as "desperate".

Hundreds of tractors rolled into Prague on Monday as farmers protested against the EU’s “green” policies and the complicated and time-consuming bureaucracy surrounding agriculture.

Farmers in several EU countries have protested against the abolition of tax breaks on diesel, increased fuel costs and general EU environmental legislation by blocking major roads with tractors in Germany, France and Slovakia. Danish farmers also plan to join the protests.

Hundreds of tractors entered the Czech capital on Monday, blocking a main road in the city. The tractors did not completely block the road, but traffic was still able to pass. Several hundred people then gathered in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, shouting “shame” and “resignation” at those who work there.

– We came today mainly because of the bureaucracy around farming, the paperwork is on the edge of what is bearable, farmer Lukas Melichovsky told Reuters.

“Hopeless situation”

However, the country’s main agricultural organizations are distancing themselves from Monday’s protests, as some of the participants have previously taken part in pro-Russian demonstrations. On Thursday, however, the Agrarian Chamber (AK) plans to protest against EU environmental policies.

– Farmers are desperate in this hopeless situation and do not know what they should expect in the near future, let alone the distant one, AK President Jan Dolezal said last week.

On Thursday, farmers from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia will also protest.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment